About:

Alicia Batten received her BA in Humanistic Studies from McGill University, and completed an MA and PhD in Theology, with a focus on the New Testament, at the University of St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses upon the origins and development of early Christianity, with particular emphasis upon the ancient Mediterranean cultural context (s), including material culture. She also thinks it important to study the shifting manner in which biblical texts have been interpreted over the centuries, and is currently writing a commentary examining the text reception and impact of the Letter of James. Beyond her academic interests, Alicia enjoys gardening, art, and reading works of fiction and poetry.

“The Characterization of the Rich in James 5.” Pages 45-61 in To Set at Liberty. Essays on Early Christianity and Its Social World in Honor of John H. Elliott. Edited by Stephen K. Black. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2014.

“Thematic Affinities between the Letter of James and the Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles.” Pages 245-62 in Apocrypha. Receptions of the New Testament in Ancient Christian Apocrypha. Novum Testamentum Patristicum 26. Edited by Tobias Nicklas and Jean-Michel Roessli. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014.

“The Urban and the Agrarian in the Letter of James,” Journal of Early Christian History 3.2 (2013) 4-20.

“Peace and Justice in the New Testament” for a Multi-faith Dialogue Series, organized by the Renison Institute for Ministry and the Studies in Islam programme, Renison University College, October, 2015